da betway： According to reports from London Evening Standard and The Daily Mail, Juventus have opened contract talks with Chelsea and Manchester City transfer target Leonardo Bonucci.
A bit of background?
da pixbet： If we had a pound for every time Bonucci’s name has been mentioned in the rumour columns since the end of last season, Football FanCast would probably have enough to buy N’Golo Kante – or at the very least, Idrissa Gueye.
Indeed, the Italian defender’s commanding performances at Euro 2016, off the back of winning a fifth consecutive Serie A title with Juventus, had him billed as a prime defensive target for Chelsea and Manchester City during the summer transfer window.
Neither club could prize the 29-year-old away from Turin but he’s continued to be linked. Earlier this week, The Telegraph, who describe Bonucci as ‘the best defender in the world’ claimed Chelsea are prepared to shell out a staggering £60million fee – a world-record sum for a defender – to sign Bonucci in January.
The Express, meanwhile, reported in September that Vincent Kompany’s continued injury problems could force City to swoop for the Azzurri star during the next transfer window.
So what’s the latest?
Seemingly responding to The Telegraph’s story, London Evening Standard yesterday reported that Juventus had opened contract talks with the 6 foot 3 centre-back, knowing a new deal would essentially rule out a January move to the Premier League. It’s claimed the Old Lady have already offered a package that would take his wages to over £100k per week including bonuses.
The Daily Mail largely corroborate that information – including the fact both Premier League clubs are capable of paying Bonucci far more. But not to be outdone by LES, their spin on the story centres around the defender’s family situation being a bigger stumbling block than the potential new contract.
Indeed, the Italian is keen to stay in his homeland because his two-year-old son is incredibly ill, to the extent that he had to undergo surgery in July. Speaking at the press conference ahead of Italy’s World Cup Qualifier with Spain yesterday evening, a 1-1 draw, Bonucci told reporters; “What happened made me stronger. I want to thank my son and my wife because we have faced a difficult time and we will continue fighting it.”
So it seems any move on the Premier League will depend on Bonucci’s family situation – which makes him deciding to stay at Juventus, and pick up a pay rise in the process, all the more likely.
Here’s a look at Bonucci in action: